2011/02/19

The naked truth

When the curators go on to admit that "art of the present requires no specialist knowledge; we are all experts in the present", they are in danger of explaining themselves away. If they are not experts, why are they in charge of this exhibition? Why should we believe anything they say of it or its exhibits? standard

The (british) "liberal system"

It's interesting, then, to read about the case of 21-year-old Sacha Hall, who is facing trial for allegedly helping herself to food that had been thrown out and was awaiting disposal. Ms Hall lives in a flat above a Tesco Express in Essex and last January she apparently saw the store staff throwing away large quantities of chilled food following a power cut. She is accused of joining passers-by in helping herself to some of it, including pies, potato waffles and ham. Magistrates in Chelmsford, Essex heard that the store manager had seen Ms Hall handing the bags into her flat through her bedroom window.

The police were called and Hall was arrested, handcuffed, and charged with taking £215 worth of food, in a little-known crime of "theft by finding", an offence with a maximum sentence of seven years. standard